Sheri and Joseph

How We Met

We met on a dating app and after talking with one another for a few weeks, we decided that it was time to go on our first date. Our first date was the most memorable first date that I have ever had. We ended up going to ESPN Zone at Disneyland and talking in the Grand Californian hotel lobby for hours by the fire. We had so much in common that we could not believe how it was possible to find one another. We felt like we had already known each other forever and our conversation carried on seamlessly when we discovered it was already 4 AM! We had been talking for close to 5 hours and it seemed like an instant. It was at this point that I first knew he was going to be the man I wanted to grow old, build a family and share life’s adventures with.

How He Asked

The whole day was all about me from the start. He took me to get my hair done and to get my nails done. We went out to breakfast and lunch then after that he said he had a final to take at school so to keep me entertained he told me that he had planned out a scavenger hunt for me and my sister. My sister had all the clues in case I had trouble.

The first clue came from my sister. She told me “Your journey begins with a friend that is near and dear to you.” That was obviously my closest friend so I gave her a call to get the next clue. She told me my next clue which was, “Your friend has always been there for you and supported you when you needed it. She is a true friend and I am so happy that she can support you when I am not around. I love you so much and it warms my heart to see you have a friend that tries to love you as much as I do. Your next clue is you need protection to come here, in more ways than one. If you know what you are doing, this place can be some fun.” I knew that this could only be the shooting range that me and him would go to for some of our dates. When we arrived at the shooting range, the staff gave us an envelope with our next clue. It read, “Here, we both come to improve our skills in order to protect our family and those close to us. I am so happy for everything we have together and I would defend it to the end. Your clue to the next location is we stuffed our face here plenty of times and most of the time with your sister. Whether passing by your old house, or traveling in the neighborhood, this place would always make us want to stop by and eat. Don’t look too hard for this clue, it may just be next to your feet.”

This clue I knew right away as I could recall a great many times when I would take him by our old house as went to the In N Out in the neighborhood. Once me and my sister arrived, we searched for the clue. I found the clue underneath one of the tables and it read, “In N Out has been our family dinner on more than a few occasions whether it was out of town or right at home. We have always enjoyed stuffing our face to the spoils of American fast food. Don’t eat here, even though you really want to. You have many more places to go. You’re next clue is not too far. You sit here in the dark around a bunch of people you don’t know. You don’t move from where you are sitting or lying for generally an hour or two. This place was one of our first dates together. Check with the person you greet at the front.” I could recall our first dates being at a movie theater and a local drive-in theater so it was difficult to know for sure which one it was. So we headed out to the local drive in theater and talked with the staff at the front. They handed me an envelope that read, “Doesn’t this place bring back memories? Whether with the whole family or just you and me, this place really held a special place in our hearts and I always enjoyed every minute of the time we spent here. We would never even watch the movie that we came to see and yet this place was always the place to be. Just a few more clues! You’re almost there! This is my favorite type of food and I would order so much when we came here. We would always stuff our faces and eat as a family. One time it was just you and me before we went to whole foods together for the first time.”

This clue was easy as I knew it was the IHOP just outside of Disneyland that we had went to with my son on multiple occasions. I arrived at the IHOP and talked with the staff. They all seemed pretty giddy but I payed no thought towards their actions until reflecting upon it later. The clue they gave me read, “Great job! You are much better than I would have thought! You’re almost there! We went here on our first date. It’s under one of the activities we engaged in. You weren’t good at it. Lol. I still remember how I would stare at you because I couldn’t believe how gorgeous you were.” I remembered my first date with him at the ESPN zone so I knew it had to be there. Once I arrived, had to search under all the games we played until I found the envelope. I finally found the clue underneath the air hockey table and it read, “Congrats! This was when I began falling for you and I still remember my first time teasing you here. I had one of the best nights of my life here. Alright. Here is the last clue. Go to the spot where I decided that I could not let you go.” I instantly thought of the next spot we went on our first date which was the Grand Californian hotel lobby where we talked for hours on our first date. So we headed to the hotel.

I walked into the hotel lobby where I was surprised by my boyfriend in a suit. I asked him “Why are you wearing a suit?” He replied to me “Babe, tonight I have had you go to all the places that made my love for you grow stronger. (He then calls my son over to bring the ring) This place is where it all began and even then I knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with you. (He gets down one one knee and opens the ring box). Will you marry me?”

Holding back tears of joy I told him “Yes.” He got up off one knee and gave me one of the most memorable kisses I will ever have. I love him with all my heart and I’m so blessed to have found my one. I thought I would never find someone like him and I’m glad to know now that I was wrong.